Protein supplements, such as whey protein powder, are commonly used by bodybuilders and other athletes to accelerate muscle development and aid in recovery. Likewise, such protein supplements are useful for clinical nutrition. In general, pre-digested, partially hydrolyzed whey proteins are absorbed more easily than unhydrolysed protein, why protein hydrolysates are considered having nutritional benefits. But whereas unhydrolyzed whey protein is mild to slightly milky in taste, hydrolyzed whey protein tends to taste quite different, usually in a way that many find undesirable. Therefore, when such hydrolysates are used in, e.g., beverages, the taste has to be masked, e.g., by addition of artificial flavour.
Hydrolysis of protein using specific endopeptidases is known in the art, see e.g., WO 97/43910. The hydrolysis of beta-lactoglobulin, which is one of the proteins present in whey protein, has been studied in Madsen et al., 1997, Int. Dairy Journal, 7: 399-409. Hydrolysis of epitopes of beta-lactoglobulin with different proteases is also described in Food Proteins and Their Applications; Ed. S. Damodaran & A. Paraf; Marcel Dekker, New York, 1997; pp. 443-472.